1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally concerns security grilles, security bars or security shutters affixed over the window and door openings of buildings, particularly homeowner-installed internally-mounted removable security grilles for use on window openings.
The present invention particularly concerns security grilles or security bars or security shutters that are each of (i) modular, (ii) homeowner-installed (ii) selectively locked (iii) quick-releasable and quick-removable, such as in the event of fire, by a building occupant, (iv) automatically released in the event of fire, (v) substantially maintenance free, (vi) cooperatively interactive with fins that may be variously rotationally slanted so as to form both louvers and interlocking security panels, or shields, and (vii) variously configured with various combinations of any of tubular bars, solid bars, fins affixed to bars, and solid fins made from plastic and metal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
2.1 The Usage of, and Requirements for, Security Bars, Security Grilles and Security Shutters
Security bars, grilles and shutters prevent unauthorized access by intruders into a building through the openings--commonly the windows--of the building. They may also serve to prevent a child from accidentally falling out of a window.
Many types of security bars, grilles and shutters are presently available. Historically, the most common types were, and are, commonly custom made. They are permanently fitted onto the outside of a building, typically during initial construction of the building. These conventional types of security bars, grilles and shutters are undesirable for precluding legitimate access through a window opening in case of emergency, especially fire. They may also impede access to windows for cleaning, or may even restrict the full opening of some kinds of windows.
Furthermore, when conventional security bars or grilles or shutters are fitted in position on the outside of a building, they are exposed to the elements and may therefore require maintenance. Because security bars, grilles and shutters are typically convolute in shape, permanent in affixation, and constructed of ferrous metals their required maintenance--normally painting--may be intricate, expensive, and frequent.
A newer type of security bar, grille or shutter is retrofittable to and at, the window and door openings of existing buildings. These security grills normally, although not necessarily, fit to the inside of windows. The security grilles of the present invention will be seen to be of this type.
In order that the fasteners, such as screws and rivets and the like, by which the newer--type security bars, grilles and shutters are affixed to existing buildings should not be readily accessible--defeating the security purpose of the bars or grille or shutter should disassembly be possible--these fasteners must be, and are normally concealed. The best security bars, grilles and shutters of the newer types conceal and protect these fasteners under structural elements that also serve to receive and to retain the bar or shutter elements. The present invention will be seen to retain this construction: the only accesses to the fasteners serving to retain a security bar or grille or shutter upon a building will be physically very well protected. Nonetheless to being well-protected, these fasteners are conveniently accessible during installation, and also thereafter if proper security conditions are met.
It is frequently desirable that any of window bars, or a security grille, or a solid security shutter, should be readily installed to, and removed from, a position barring access through a window. Sometimes security bars, grilles, or shutters will be temporarily installed because the occupants of a home or other building may at certain times and/or seasons wish to leave certain windows open, but hesitate to do so for fear that an intruder will enter through an open window. However, at other times and seasons these same people may neither require nor desire the security that is accorded by security bars or security grilles or a shutters, and may desire to remove the bars or grilles or shutters.
It may also be, at times, useful to remove window bars, or security grilles, or security shutters for purposes of cleaning the window, and/or cleaning or painting any of the window frame, the security bars, the security grille, or the security shutters.
The requirement for periodic removal of security bars, or security grilles, or security shutters, is analogous to the requirement for the periodic placement, and removal, of storm windows. However, the necessary strong physical attachment of the bars, grilles, or shutters to the building has heretofore hindered, or even precluded, ready periodic removal.
Finally, window bars, or security grilles, or security shutters must be quickly removable, and are desirably easily so removed in a foolproof manner, in the case of fire. This is both so as to permit (i) the occupants of the building to leave the building via its windows, and (ii) firemen to gain access to the interior of the building though its windows. In some areas and municipalities of the United States, releasable security bars and grilles are mandated by ordinance, especially in ground floor sleeping rooms, in order to accord the building occupants the opportunity to escape fires.
2.2 Particular Previous Removable Security Bars and Grilles
There are, in general, many different types of security bars, or security grilles, or security shutters for all the different types of window and other apertures that are presented by multitudinous different buildings, and different types of buildings.
One common type of removable security grille that is used to span the windows of common buildings normally includes a first frame member, a second frame member, and a number of bars. It is common that each frame member has and presents a number of apertures for receiving the ends of the bars, making that each bar extends from one frame member to an opposite frame member. One or both frame members may sometimes incorporate a locking mechanism that is typically movable between a first position serving to retain the bars in the frame member, and a second position which permits the egress of the bars out the frame member's apertures.
One known, and effective, locking mechanism is in the form of a strip of strong metal that is contained within the frame member. The metal strip is provided with elongate keyhole-shaped, or tapered, apertures where the diameter of each aperture varies over its length. Bars of a complimentary structure are possessed of ends in the form of a stud having regions of greater and lesser diameter. The variable diameter studs at the bar ends selectively engage the variable diameter apertures of the metal strip, providing a means of selectively locking the bars to the metal strip and to the frame member. A mechanism for retaining the metal strip in its first position locking the bars may also be provided.
An example of a particular previous removable security grille is taught within International Application number PCT AU90 00298 filed Jul. 11, 1990 and published Jan. 21, 1991, for a SECURITY GRILL. This application--descended from Australian national patent application PJ 210--was to the same Charles William St. George--a legal change of name from Charles Giorgio having in the interim transpired--who is a co-inventor of the present application.
In the predecessor application a security grille has and presents opposed first and second support members that are adapted to fit against respective opposed surface portions of a building opening. The security grille further includes a plurality of bar members that are assembled into, and that extend between, the first and second support members.
The first support member preferably includes a first engagement mechanism for either releasing or retaining the first ends of the bars. The second support member includes a second engagement mechanism moveable between (i) a first position locking and retaining the bars in place, and (ii) a second position unlocking the bars and releasing them from the second support member.
The second engagement means is preferably accessible, and actuated, only from one side--the inside--of the building's opening.
The fasteners--normally screws--by which the housing is attached to the building at the location of its window opening are mechanically shielded by affixation of the bar members in the housing.
The second engagement mechanism of the security grille typically includes a locking slide mounted for sliding inside the second support member, and a lock to retain the slide in its first position. Openings in both the second support member and the slide accept the stud ends of the bars. When the slide is in its first position, the stud ends of the bars are engaged, and the bars are held. Conversely, when the slide is in its second position, the stud ends of the bars are disengaged, and the bars are released. Also when the slide is in its first position, notches in the slide to fit a cam pin of a lock. A slide may be cut to any length, and will serve to selectively hold and release many bars, one bar per opening.
Provision may be made to reduce chances of the slide jamming, especially upon application of the first and second support members to uneven surfaces. For example, the slide may be formed from a number of like slide segments which are connected to each other in an articulated manner. In this manner the individual slide segments can slide within the support member even if the support member becomes warped as a result of its application to an uneven surface.
2.3 Objects of the Present Invention
According to certain basic catch and release mechanisms for security bars and grilles and shutters being within the prior art, the present invention is directed to improvements in the construction of these mechanisms, and also of the security bars, grilles and shutters themselves.
One object of the present invention is the design of aesthetically pleasing (i) security bars/grilles, and (ii) mounting structures for the bars/grilles. The mounting structures, in particular, would preferably be hardly noticeable. They would require no, or only but slight, changes in or to the meeting check rails of the top and bottom sashes of existing windows in order to receive such mounting structures. The mounting structures would desirably be capable of being built into new window frames so as to take the place of the parting strip between the runways for the upper and the lower sash.
Another object of the present invention is the design of security bars/grilles/shutters that may be mounted equally easily, and that may function for all purposes equally effectively, when the bars run either vertically, as is most common, or horizontally.
Another object of the present invention is the design of security bars and grilles and shutters so that their bars or louvers or other spanning elements may readily be interlocked with their associated mounting members. The interlocking is preferably by operation of one or more common lock bars each of which serves to lock, and to unlock, a number of spanning elements in common. It is mandatory that, when locked in position, access cannot be had to unlock the spanning elements from outside the building. Neither the number of locking bars or other spanning elements, nor of unlock mechanisms, is necessarily equal to the number of separate security bars or grilles spanning the openings of one more closely situated windows. In fact, the number of locking and unlocking mechanisms are desirably minimal consistent with providing safe paths of egress from inside the building in the event of fire.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide simple, substantial and practical window security bars, grilles and/or shutters that are readily capable of simple installation by amateurs, and of subsequent effective use, on windows of various heights and widths. Despite the desired easy installation of security bars, grilles and/or shutters to windows of various heights and widths, it is desired by the manufacturer(s), distributor(s) and/or retailer(s) of these security bars, grilles and shutters to make, distribute and sell only a limited number of different parts, and different sizes. Accordingly, a related, and complimentary, object to the ready sizing of the security grilles is the parallel object of making the security grilles both (i) modular in construction, and (ii) susceptible of being effectively linked together so as to permit the spanning of large areas by use of multiple identical spanning elements of lesser size.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a window guard which may be easily and readily assembled and attached to a common window frame by an amateur craftsman, typically a homeowner, by use of only (i) common safe hand tools, typically a screwdriver, and (ii) common fasteners, typically screws. Because a security grille in accordance with the present invention will be seen to function not only to protect life and property but, in the event of fire, to permit escape through the windows of guarded spaces, the requirement that a simple installation be "fool-proof" is not as trivial as might be expected. Indeed, the security grille of the present invention will be seen to be preassembled in all its critical, life-securing, sections, and to be Virtually incapable of being so inexpertly or maladroitly installed so as to fail of its essential purposes.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide window security bars, or grilles or shutters, that are modular in their component parts so that, should a part be damaged or lost, then the security bar, or grille, or shutter may be repaired in its necessary parts, and at minimum cost, without the necessity of discarding substantial portions that are still usable.
Still another object of the present invention is to render security bars and grilles to be substantially corrosion resistent, and maintenance free, in use without employing such expensive materials, for example stainless steel, as would increase costs of manufacture significantly. In fact, it is desired to use low-cost low-maintenance weather-impervious materials--normally plastics and fiberglass--on exposed surfaces while using the low cost and high strength of steel for performing the security function.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a window guard--having connected or unconnected bars or rods that extend across the window opening--where the bars or rods may be quickly and readily removed from the fixed portions of the guard so as to permit (i) washing the window, (ii) escape of any occupants of the building though the window during fires, (iii) entrance of fire fighting personnel into the building (regardless whether any occupants have been or are present), or (iv) any other legitimate purpose. Nonetheless to being reliably and quickly and easily removable--including if needs be by small children in a state of panics and automatically upon the occurrence of fire--for all legitimate purposes, the security bars or rods must not be subject to removal from outside the building in order to defeat their security function.
Finally, it is yet another object of the present invention to improve the integration of security bars and grilles with window louvers and shutters, such as are commonly used to moderate and control of the ingress of sunlight, breezes and weather into a building, and such as may also be used (when optionally installed to the outside of a window) in the event of storm, pestilence or attack to completely seal up a window opening.